As Dominica observes Drug Awareness month, Director of the National Drug Prevention Unit, Jacinta Bannis, has called on women to stop allowing themselves to be used as mules for drug trafficking.
She remarked that women play a “two-toned” role in society, in that while there are some good women, other — often more vulnerable women — fall prey to drug trafficking.
“As mothers — I want to give the positive side of this — there are women who tend to teach their children about the dangers of drugs, but we also have women who do what we call ‘drug trafficking’. They are used as couriers,” she said.
“They ingest the drugs, they put it through their private parts,” she stated. “Sometimes they get pat downs, and they get searches, and they can be even profiled. Probably on a flight, a woman will not eat, will not use the restroom, will sit a certain position, and can be profiled as a carrier of illicit substances.”
Additionally, she went on to warn “vulnerable” women to be on the alert for drug traffickers who use deceit as a means of luring them into the drug trade, without making them aware of the risk involved.
“The traffickers look for vulnerable women… They never tell you [that] you will serve a long sentence, they never tell you [that] you wouldn’t see your children, or you won’t be at your grandparents’ funeral, and stuff like that.”
Bannis hopes that the overwhelming penalties involved—such as serving time in prison— will be enough to discourage women from becoming involved in drug trafficking.
“In Dominica, women who have trafficked drugs internationally… there have been consequences… And probably you are in a situation, where economically, you know, you are deprived, and the drug trafficker will see you are good for trafficking drugs. We really want to discourage women from being used by traffickers, or being used for drug trafficking,” she said.
We had it all wrong from the beginning and now we are paying for it dearly. When last you heard of a young couple getting engaged to be married. When last you heard of a couple getting married. If a man live with a woman together they should refer to each other as my lover,oh no ,boyfriend,girlfriend.STEPMOTHER,STEPFATHER. No respect no the family home
That’s part of their “equal rights.” Wants to be equal to a man. So why women should avoid the traffic, while the men get run-over in traffic? Every sex should avoid the traffic.
The fact that drug traffickers will take advantage of under privileged women even placing them at risk of arrest or of losing their lives to carry out their illegal activities says something about the traffickers themselves.
These are people who illegally sell drugs they know are addictive and harmful. They do this with the full knowledge that the drugs sometimes lead to crimes, destroy lives, cause serious illnesses, and sometimes result in death. It should not surprise us that traffickers would take advantage of women who are in distress and hire them as ”mules” to smuggle drugs even in the most degrading ways. They also have been known to use children the same way.
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Continuation…
It would not help to legalize any of theses drugs.
The people who are now breaking the existing laws that forbid the sale and purchase of drugs would continue to ignore and violate any new laws that are passed to regulate the sale and purchase of drugs.
This is the kind of people they are. They have never respected the law and they are not going to start now.
Why would they suddenly become law abiding citizens now when it means buying a license to grow, manufacture, or sell
When it means paying sales tax 
When it means they cannot sell to people under a certain age since this is where a big part of their business comes from 
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist. (Diploma in Drug Studies)
Don’t blame the drug traffickers, blame the stupid women who put themselves in that position. we need jobs for these people..
I take issue with your choice of adjectives.
These women may be under privileged, disadvantaged, and misguided, but they are not stupid.
In many cases it is because of men like the drug pushers that their lives are so messed up: men who only care about their own pleasure and gain who will take advantage of women who are desperate. Single mums are the most vulnerable.
More should be done to see that young women receive the education they need and develop marketable skills before they leave school. Many feel the government ought to be involved in providing more legitimate job opportunities.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Instead of working for a month and wait to get paid after 30 days it is easier to take a risk and get a lot at one time if lucky enough while you think of the consequences also..in iran,malaysia,singapore,saudi arabia ,indonesia,china and united arab emirates, almost every muslim and many african countries is capital punishment,,death or life where in some prisons you might not survive, these places are protecting every body from the wrath of drugs,it is very attractive for those who live in places where these laws are excluded ,when some people want 4x4s ,cars,buses ,bikes, & houses by mercilessly destroys people’s lives , a gov’t who only want to make money from drug dealers when they are caught ,right now a grand bay man who drives a 4×4 is arrested in guadeloupe with supposedly a large amount of drugs money,all these vehicles as i have mentioned belonging to people without a proper job ,why is the gov’t playing a blind eye where those who work very hard cannot make ends meet
@cb, What the gov’t. do you nuh? You just like Angelo man. Just can’t talk without mentioning the Gov’t!?
Women fall prey to it because they want to live lavish life style. Flaunting wigs and weave, nails, false eyelashes, and do not ask about buying expensive clothes when they never worked no where.
There are women like this in the drug trade. They are closer to the top.
However this does not describe the female ”mules” the article speaks about. They are poor women who are desperate and will degrade themselves to get money for the necessities of life.
The government should be helping them get an education and develop marketable skills. Like some of the young men who sell the drugs they have fallen through he cracks of society.
Not everybody is cut out to be an academic or a professional. Where are the Vocational Institutes
Where are the Trade Schools 
What guidance is being given to young people while they are still in school to discover their interests and map out a plan for their lives 
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.